Memories in motion

A LOCKWOOD artist has used the memories of his childhood growing up in Bendigo to help create a truly memorable Mercedes. Alan Boromeo bought the old Mercedes for $200 and used it as a canvas for his childhood recollections.In the same vein as Pro Hart who painted wonderful scenes on a Rolls-Royce, Boromeo has captured the Bendigo spirit on the panels of his vehicle.“The inspiration comes from Pro Hart’s work, I fell in love with what he had done,” Mr Boromeo said.“I couldn’t afford a Rolls but I could afford a Mercedes.“The main reason I decided to do it was to see what the finished job looked liked.”Mr Boromeo found the car in the classifieds of the Bendigo Advertiser and spent a great deal of time cleaning the weather-beaten Mercedes.“That was a process in itself. It was in the back of a mechanic’s yard and was very weather beaten,” he said.The two-month-long project allowed Mr Boromeo to learn even more about his craft and explore new techniques.“Being such a big canvas, I was nearly to the last bit before I was really doing quality stuff, it encompasses a lot of skills,” he said.Mr Boromeo worked on the car for two or three days at a time before taking days off to let the paint dry and to recuperate from the tough assignment. The scenes on the hood, boot and doors of the car are scenes that most Bendigonians would be familiar with.They include watching the old steam trains travel through a tunnel, riding push bikes until it was dark, rabbiting at Big Hill and getting a haircut on the back porch at home.Mr Boromeo also painted a Chinese dragon going down the length of Pall Mall along one side of the Mercedes.“Most of my work comes from childhood recollections, when things were a lot simpler,” he said.Mr Boromeo has artwork and sculptures on display in a gallery in Pro Hart’s home town of Broken Hill.The car will be on show at the Nara Dream Exhibition from May 28.The exhibition is open on May 28 and 29 and June 4 and 5 from 10am to 4pm.Cost is a gold coin donation with all money going to New Horizons Welfare Services.The exhibition will be held at Bill’s Shed at Avisford, 1023 Calder Alternative Highway, Lockwood (just down from the Lockwood Crossing).It also features other local artists, photographers and performers.